Matas’s story

I wanted to be a lawyer because I’ve always been around legal documents. My family are immigrants and my parents couldn’t speak English well so I’d translate everything. Then in lockdown, I got really into Suits and How to Get Away with Murder and decided I wanted to be a corporate or commercial solicitor.  

But I didn’t like the idea of university; I knew it wasn’t right for me. I find working more fun than studying and it’s great to earn money while learning on the job. It’s more practical and less intense. But they hire four apprentices out of hundreds so I knew my application had to be outstanding.  

My mentor looked at 20-25 drafts of that first application with me. He was honest about where it was bad and told me where I was waffling. He also gave me an insight into what it’s like working in corporate law. It has a reputation for being 90-hour weeks and no life outside of it, but he told me that it’s not always like that, sometimes it’s quiet and you can leave early.  

We did talk about the possibility of uni but everything he said about it reassured me that the apprenticeship was the right route for me.  

Now, we meet up for coffee at work once a fortnight! My experience of mentoring with Brightside has created a great base for my relationship with my current mentor at work. I know what to ask and I can be open about how I learn best.  

All young people should get mentoring. It’s an extra hand of support while you’re going through your A Levels and lots of people don’t have that support. School couldn’t have given me the kind of specialist help my mentor did and I’m so grateful to Gareth.